Posted by dragonblack on August 6, 2010, at 21:09:08
In reply to Re: BPII: stop antidepressant to test mood stabilizer?, posted by polarbear206 on August 6, 2010, at 17:29:44
> If an SSRI made you feel that apathetic, why don't you try an SNRI, like Effexor?
Good question. Well, I think each SSRI has it's own "personality," and that with any of these drugs, the only real way to know whether it will work for you is to trial it. I find prozac fascinating, and I've wanted to try it for years - it just has some properties that are very unique, and it has showed a lot of versatility that the other SSRIs haven't, IMO. It's also a popular combo with Wellbutrin ("Wellzac"). I am curious about the SNRIs, but, unlike Cymbalta, which hits serotonin and norepinephrine more or less equally, effexor is really just an ssri at low doses; it doesn't turn into an SNRI until you get to 150 mg or so, and I want to add just a low dose of something, hopefully. Also, Effexor has a 4-hour half-life, and thus is probably the worst culprit re SSRI discontinuation syndrome (though the XR version would alleviate some of this...). Prozac, on the other hand, has the longest half-life ever, and not only is this not a risk, prozac is prescribed to treat SSRI discontinuation syndrome caused by going off other SSRIs! I find this to be a distinct advantage when comparing drugs that are more or less equal in my eyes until I try them personally. Also, reading the book "Prozac Nation," and how it changed Elizabeth Wurtzel's life, is what originally convinced me to go on medication years ago. So, yeah, that's the story. Also, it will probably be cheaper for me.
Way more information that you wanted, right? Ha ha! Let it not be said that I don't over-analyze things!
poster:dragonblack
thread:957141
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100731/msgs/957595.html